


Horns

by FableButt



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Parallels, Alternate Universe - Devil Survivor, Demon Summoner!Niles, Demon!Azura, Demon!Kamui, Devil Survivor 2 Setting with Fates Characters, Even though he's a scary demon hunter Niles still has a desk job, Fun for him I guess, Kamui is about 500000 times too innocent for him, Kind of Modern AU Setting, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mysterious Demon Hunting Organizations, Niles Accidentally a Boyfriend, implied alcoholism, vague suicidal thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:38:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7065559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FableButt/pseuds/FableButt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never in JP's history has something like this happened.  Two creatures are found that are ignorant of this world and not entirely human.  Their presence speaks of ill omens to come, especially since Demon sightings and attacks hare becoming more and more frequent.  The dual leaders of the two branches of JP's know that something must be done, but they have no idea what.</p><p>While all this is going on, Niles' own life is slowly eroding away at the seams.  While he cares for his commander, he hates what his job has become and his mental demons keep trying to claw back to the surface night after night.  He is losing himself to the harsh realities of the modern world and those around him are too busy with their own lives to see him floundering.</p><p>Surprisingly enough, it is a sweet boy with pointed ears and razor sharp fangs who saves him.</p><p>*You don't need to know Devil Survivor 2 to read the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Horns

**Author's Note:**

> Again, you don't need to know DESU 2 to read this. This story doesn't have any spoilers for the game, either. I kind of just stole the setting and bastardized it to my liking.

It turned out that being an elite demon hunter wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When Niles had 'taken' this job over eight years ago, he never would have guessed that it would end up like this. Another day trapped in his stiflingly small office writing reports or signing papers. On the good days it just made his head hurt. On the bad he would leave work with a sour taste in his mouth and no hope left for humanity. Lately there were more bad days than good.

It was easy for Niles to take comfort where he could. If it wasn't in the warm body of a lass or lad then it was with him drinking himself into a stupor. Sometimes it was both. It shamed the white haired man to admit that there were days it bled over into his work. He liked to think that Leo didn't know, but also knew that the younger man was too astute for that. Niles was just glad that his boss hadn't mentioned it.

It was hard to cope with what Niles had seen, what he had done and had happen in the past. Most nights he would wake up in a cold sweat, a phantom pain in his missing eye socket and the smell of fresh blood. _Someday._ The phantoms would whisper as he came back to consciousness. _Someday we'll get you._

Under more normal circumstances, Niles was sure he would have killed himself by now. It was just too much for one man to take, even if he hid it well. He had seen what lurked beyond death, though, and he knew he was better off being miserable here than he was there. When he died, his Contracts would be absolved, too. That would just lead to a mess in of itself if someone else wasn't around to pick up the pieces. Even if he often claimed otherwise, he didn't want the few people he cared about in life hurt just because he couldn't deal.

Same day, different date. Niles awoke when his alarm blared at him. Instantly he groaned and rolled over, pain throbbing in a terrible spider web inside of his skull and down into his stomach. His mouth was dry and head filled with cotton. Damn, maybe he had overdid it last night.

As Niles pushed himself out of bed, he glanced over at the shiny black cell phone on his bedside table. The identification light was flashing blue to show he had missed some activity of some sort in the night. Usually it was just a stray text from Odin about something ridiculous, but his blood chilled when he saw he had seventeen missed calls and numerous texts.

All of the calls were from Leo. The first was at exactly 2: 31 and the last 5:48, both AM. Every text, and Niles couldn't count how many because there were _too_ many, was also from Leo. Except for one, which was from Odin, and only said "You're in trouble." It must have been bad if Odin didn't even use any of his flowery language like he normally did. Maybe today was when Leo finally cut loose from him.

Still, Niles couldn't go into the office smelling like whiskey and just an overall fucking mess. Even if it was more rushed than normal, he shuffled around his tiny apartment in the dark until he was showered, shaved and dressed. The one eyed man was out the door and on his way to the Diet Building in record time.

No one even looked at Niles as he took the steps two at a time in the early morning hour. Most of the civilians who passed by knew that he worked there, that anyone in his standard uniform did, even if they didn't know exactly why. 'Foreign officials' He had heard someone whisper once on the trains. 'Just maintenance.' Someone else had said. It wasn't his job to correct them.

Swiping his key-card inside, Niles hopped onto the private JP's elevator and took it down. He always felt like he was descending into the very core of the earth itself when he was on it alone, for how long it took and how quiet it was. When the doors opened up, he was greeted with a lot more activity than usual.

At this hour there were often just a few lesser agents in the halls in sleepy dazes. Now there were so many grunts it was hard to keep track of them, plus at least a dozen Senior Officers like himself. Not just from the Tokyo branch, either, if the red pins on some of the collars told him. Many from the Kyoto branch were here as well, which was unusual in itself since the two branches often didn't get along. He tried to make his way quietly past the commotion so he could make it to Commander Leo's office down the halls, but someone caught his sleeve and made him stop.

"Ah, Officer Arvelo. We missed you last night." Niles turned with thinly veiled disgust to find it was Subaki who had a hold of him. Not a single red hair out of place, either, which was really at odds with the dark circles starting to form under his eyes. They didn't stop that smug look on Subaki's face, however. "I guess you had something _more important_ to do?"

That tone of voice scathed Niles. Even so, he couldn't stop the little flush of shame from twisting in his gut before he pushed it away. "I suppose I did, Officer Modegi. Shame you had to work with the rest of the peons." The lie was formed easily and only because he wouldn't let Subaki have the last laugh. Before the red-haired man could make some sharp retort that would make his blood boil, Niles pulled away and just walked off. He pretended not to hear Subaki scoff and call him back over the chatter of everyone around them.

Even the back hallways were more crowded than normal, but at least Niles didn't have any more run ins before he made it to Leo's office. A quick knock and a moment later he heard the lock click, signaling for him to come inside. Leo's normally pristine office was littered with stacks of papers and coffee cups. Niles could tell even without stepping inside that Leo was both exhausted and pissed, which never made a good combination.

"Officer Arvelo." Leo paused from signing papers and looked up. Niles stepped inside and closed the door behind him. When he did, Leo pressed a button on his desk that locked the door again. It was just them now. If Subaki was just starting to look tired, Leo looked ready to fall over and die. His jacket was on inside out and he had smudges of ink and what might have been soot all over his face. Upon noticing it, Niles noted the singed smell coming from his Commander. "Sit down."

Leo motioned to an empty seat in front of his desk, which Niles took without question. Some part of him wanted to make a dirty quip to lighten the mood, but the smarter part of himself knew better than to do that right now. If Leo was as angry as Niles suspected he was, it would just upset the young blond further.

"From what I can guess, you have no idea why you're here, do you?" Leo carefully laced his fingers together. He had That Look on, usually reserved for Odin, where his brown eyes were steely and he looked down his nose at you. It made Niles feel like a child, about to be scolded for being bad.

"No, sir." Niles spoke carefully. Leo pursed his lips and picked up a thick report folder from his desk and offered it to the older man. Niles took it, of course, and flipped it open to the first page. He could recognize that Odin had written it straight away. Even if his colleague was annoying, his purple prose could always be fashioned into some of the most detailed and well written reports.

Clipped to the front pages were a few pictures of the shell of a house, black and crisped. The entire area around it burned in a perfect circle, yes Niles could tell from the soupy way the ground looked that it was also muddy and wet. The background showed it was some sort of forest, and from the thickness of the trees and the overall signs of life he had to guess it was pretty far out of the way. A second picture inside the wreckage showed a hole in the ground with stairs that led down into darkness; a cellar or basement of some sort. 

The next one was inside what Niles could only guess was the hole down. Brightly lit by flashlights, he could see the stone walls and that it was surprisingly... homey. Usually when JP's had to go to places like this, the secret dungeons were little more than dark rooms with chains and piss in the floor. This one was large with at least three rooms and seemed nicer than what the house above must have been at one point. More pictures were attached, but it just seemed to be photos of random objects for evidence. He placed them aside and started to actually read.

"On 5/13/15 at 1:57 AM, a transmission was intercepted from the radio of Ambulance 612 in the Tottori Prefecture. The ambulance had been called to a rural farmhouse away from any villages and deep in the woods. The Ambulance driver, unidentified as of this writing, screamed for help multiple times into the receiver and repeated the word 'demon' before being silenced. Given the proximity to the Valla Seal, a team was dispatched to investigate. Primary assessment team information attached."

Niles glanced quickly at the team list. Many names of basic members were listed, but at the top was Leo's, his own, and Odin's names. His name had been crossed out and a simple 'No show' written next to it. At least now the white haired man knew why Leo was so cross with him. Something big had went down and he hadn't bothered to pick up his phone. That was a no-no in of itself, since if you worked at JP's, you were expected to be fighting fit anytime and anywhere.

"Primary investigation revealed the mutilated corpse of two men, presumed to be the first responders in the ambulance. Both had deep lacerations to the face and neck: Pictured in E-16 through E-27. From this point the the team split into two groups, Group One led by Commander Leo Nohr to check the status of the Seal, and Group Two led by myself, Officer Odin Dark, to check the status of the house.

"The house on first walk through was empty, but with signs of life: Everything was clean, some food was being cooked on a wood burning stove, and three plates were sat out on a nearby table. It was only on the third sweep that Mase Kafu found a door hidden behind a large decorative wall hanging.

Upon opening the door, there was the sounds of crying from down below. We readied our DSAs and descended. The stairway opened up into a small living area, with two doorways on either side of us. A woman was laying on the floor in the middle, identified as Mikoto Rai, with a shattered cell phone next to her body. Investigation of both rooms reveled them both to be plain bedrooms. However, Subject A and Subject B were found in the left room huddled together in the corner. Subject B was crying into Subject A's hair at the time of discovery."

Flipping the page, Niles found pictures of 'Subject A' and 'Subject B'. Subject A looked to be a skinny girl in her late teens or early twenties with long blue hair. Her eyes were bright yellow and inhuman, sharp like a cat's or lizard's. She looked to be in some sort of straight jacket and covered in seals. A gag of some sort had been forced into her mouth. The most telling part that she wasn't human was the long set of thin ivory horns protruding from her head. They were almost like a deer's with how they have many points.

Subject B was a young man, around the same age as Subject A, with milky white skin and matching hair. His eyes were bright red and red rimmed, like he had been crying. He was pretty scrawny like the girl was and also covered in the same seals. His ears were pointed at the tips as well. The boy had his own horns that were the same as the girls, the only exception that they were black instead of white. He looked upset in the picture.

"Subject A stood up and lunged at us. I summoned Cait Sith, who deftly deflected the attack. At this, Subject B stood as well but made no move to approach. Subject A opened her mouth and started to sing. This vocalization weakened many of the members of the team. It caused loss of balance and confusion, but Cait Sith used a Hazan and felled her. Both Subjects were taken into custody, with Subject B putting up no resistance.

"Outside, Group Two was met with fire. Group One was being pushed back from the seal by an onslaught of various demons, with Garm and Gagyson being predominant types. I summoned forth my Basilisk and-"

Niles cut himself short in reading. A little skimming revealed this to be one of Odin's 'famous' battle scenes. It lasted for six pages and was overly detailed. The white haired man summed up that they had fought the demons, won, but house was burned down in the process. Signs on the victims outside pointed that it had been some of those same demons had killed them. The Subjects were currently down in holding cells, and the Kyoto Branch was here to discuss what to do with them.

"They're demons. Why not just seal them like all the rest?" Niles flipped the file closed and dropped it back on Leo's desk.

"We tried that. It doesn't work on either of them." Leo narrowed his eyes and Niles knew what was coming. The moment he had been dreading for months. "Niles, you have a problem. I've been willing to overlook it, but since its interfering with your work, you need-"

Leo was cut short by a firm knock at the door. He sighed and pressed the unlock button, to reveal Commander Takumi from the Kyoto Branch on the other side. His face was puckered and soured, as if he didn't want to be here. Never had Niles been happier to see the the pineapple-looking asshole.

"You're needed in the meeting room." Message delivered, Takumi raked his eyes over Leo's currently scattered surroundings before snarling his lip in disgust and walking off. Leo sighed and massaged his temples.

"Go get to work. Don't think you've gotten out of this talk." Standing, Leo gathered up his things and exited, leaving Niles to lock up and leave. The older man sighed and lingered before bothering to do so. He still had a hangover pounding at the base of his skull, which was slowly getting worse and worse. Maybe if he could just get through the day, he would be okay. Maybe.

\------

As it turned out, Niles did get out of that talk. There was so much going on that Leo had all but forgotten about Niles entirely, which suited him just fine given his recent failure to his Commander. Odin hadn't stopping giving him playful hell about it, but at least the younger man didn't suspect _why_ Niles hadn't shown up for work that night. Leo was just too busy trying to figure out about Subject B, dealing with the Kyoto Branch, arguing with the Hoshido siblings in meetings.

It was a week and a half before some consensus was made. The Kyoto Branch returned to Kyoto with Subject A, and Subject B stayed with them to study and examine. Niles wasn't directly involved with the case, so what information he got was snippets he could coax out of Odin or Peri. More personally, Niles had sort of just floated by as he usually did, taking care to do his office work but not enjoying it. The only difference was that now he didn't take so many nips from the bottle he had hidden in his desk between signing his name to papers he didn't care about.

Niles was where he always was, in his office behind his desk, when Laslow poked his head in.

"Hey, Niles, Leo needs you down in Interrogation Room One." Before Niles could respond, the silver haired man had closed the door back and disappeared. Odin had claimed before that Laslow was as good at fleeing as he was bad at picking up ladies, which the white haired man could believe. Rising from his seat, Niles had hopes that maybe he would finally have a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his Commander.

It didn't take long to reach the Interrogation level and even less time to find room one. The interrogation rooms were meant to hold humans, not demons, so some precautions had been taken with the decorating. Many paper seals had been placed on the walls and some type of incense was being burned out of sight. It didn't do much to brighten the dreary place up. Still, Niles had a select few fond memories of this place and it gave his step a little more jump to be down here.

Niles nodded to the two guards in front of room one before they let him in. He was kind of curious to see Subject B in the flesh, since he hadn't seen anything more than the pictures from the file Odin had written. It took a moment for his eye to adjust when he entered, but he locked quickly onto the shivering lump of white flesh curled up in the corner and sobbing softly.

"Good, you're here." Leo was frowning and staring at the demon. The blond still looked tired, but he also looked frustrated. "We have tried to be patient with this one, but I'm at the end of my rope. I'm going to take a twenty minute break. The guards know that no matter what they hear in here, not to enter. What happens, happens." That said, Leo left, the door closing with a thump behind him.

The implication hung heavy in the air. All Niles could hear was the boy crying, and he looked so pitiful. The one eyed man almost felt bad. Almost. A sly grin spread over his features. Maybe he would get some relief where he really needed it; there was nothing better than a little bloodshed when it helped his cause. Niles took a step forward and the boy slowly sat up. His face was puffy and tear-stained, but now he just looked confused.

Maybe he was just stupid, but the horned boy examined Niles' face before offering a timid smile. Sniffling, he wiped his face on the sleeve of the plain white shirt he was wearing. "Hi." His voice was soft but raw. When Niles took another step towards him, he pushed himself up until he was standing on wobbly legs.

He looked like the pictures, as expected, but photo alone couldn't catch the strange and ethereal beauty that he seemed to have. The boy seemed to almost be glowing from within. He also moved with a strange grace that Niles couldn't place, like he imagined a princess might. The horned boy didn't seem to be harmed in any way, but Niles could see a little bit of grit on his face and under his clawed nails from where he was. The image of this beautiful face bloodied and bruised surfaced in his mind, causing him to shiver lightly with anticipation.

"Hello." Niles finally replied. Chuckling low, he promised himself he would draw it out. Enjoy it. He might not even need to take out his cell phone and summon a demon for help if the seals weakened the kid as much as Niles suspected. "You've been naughty. You know that, right?" To his surprise, the boy frowned. He looked upset, maybe even ashamed.

"Sorry...." The boy laced his fingers together and started to fidget. It was adorable to watch. "He's just.... really scary." Those pretty red eyes glanced up anxiously at the doorway, then flitted back to the floor. Niles realized he must have been talking about Leo, which pulled a dry laugh from his throat. Leo was powerful and _deserved_ to be feared, but many didn't unless they had seen his power first hand. Had this demon seen what Leo could do? It wasn't out of the question, since Leo had been there when he was captured.

"What's your name?" Continuing, the horned boy looked up from under his lashes at Niles. This was all too perfect, too innocent. It had to be an act. Surely this kid knew that he was about to get a beating he would never forget, right? But he was acting so sweet. The only problem was that Niles _knew_ demons and he _knew_ liars. He also _knew_ tricks, but this kid seemed totally sincere. He must have been a good actor. Still, it wouldn't hurt to play along for now.

"Niles. Whats yours?"

"Kamui." The boy, Kamui, gave another small smile before looking at the floor again. He had started to draw little circles on the stone floor with his bare and sharply clawed toes. It vaguely reminded Niles of how a schoolgirl acted around her crush. Really, too precious. "Do you know where Azura is? I miss her. She gets lonely with me, even if she lies and say she doesn't." His eyes suddenly shot up and he looked panicked. "Does Azura know about Mama? Is she okay?"

Kamui's eyes welled up with tears and he started to sob softly. He lunged forward swiftly enough to take Niles by surprise. He raised his hand to defend himself, but just found that the boy had nuzzled his face against his chest and was sniffling quietly. The only danger Niles had to worry about was the way those pointy horns were awfully close to his face.

"I don't know. Is Azura the girl that was with you?" Niles' tongue felt heavy in his mouth. This was too easily a trap, too easily going to get him killed, but there was something strange about the boy that put his at ease. He knew exactly what it was. An aura, like some other demons had. His own Lilim could inspire lust in those who didn't have the willpower to resist. This was much more subtle, though, a gentle guiding hand instead of a slap in the face like Lilim was.

"Yeah. Azura's my sister. She's really nice, and she sings really pretty. You should meet her." Kamui pulled away from him some and wiped his eyes again. "I'm sorry about that." He looked down. "Mama always said to be careful, and if I ever met someone not to touch them too much, but I did anyway, and I didn't even ask first."

"You don't have to ask to touch me, as long as I can touch you all I want." Niles couldn't resist when it was set up so perfectly for him. Sadly, his naughty joke went over the boy's head, because he just smiled wide.

"Okay, mister Niles. You can touch me all over, okay?" It was almost lewd how innocent that Kamui had sounded.

"Right." Pausing, Niles tried to think of what Leo might have tried to get out of Kamui. His Commander hadn't left him any specific instructions, so he must have just expected Niles to put the fear into the red eyed boy so he would talk. "What is it that Leo wants you to tell him?" This really could be his chance to prove himself in Leo's eyes again.

"Oh, um.... the scary guy? He wants to know what I want, and what Mama was planning to do with us, and why he can't 'seal' me or something? But, I just want to see Azura, and Mama was just our Mama! I don't really know what a seal is either. Does he mean like when you put a lid on a jar?"

While Niles wouldn't say he trusted him, Kamui didn't seem to be lying at least. There was no way for a demon to practice that accurate a range of emotion for so long. They were tricky creatures, but only extremely powerful ones had any actual semblance of morals like humans. Most were guided by primal urges or wants. That didn't mean that all the most powerful ones wanted to help humanity, though. Usually the more powerful ones wouldn't bother with an act like this, as well.

"Well...." Niles clicked his tongue as he tried to think of what Leo might ask or want to know. "How did your Mama summon you?" The question caused Kamui to frown and knit his eyebrows together.

"Mama didn't summon me. I came out of her, like all other babies do!"

"If she gave birth to you, then who is your father?"

"Mama said that once, a long time ago, a really nice and handsome man wandered close to our house. His name was Anankos, and he treated Mama really good, and he said he wanted to marry Mama but couldn't! So instead, Mama had me and Azura. But then Anankos had to go away, so he told Mama what to do to keep us safe! Isn't that cool?"

It took Niles a few seconds to process all of this. If what Kamui was implying was true, then he wasn't just some dumb demon summoned by a crazy old woman in the woods. He was some type of hybrid, a half demon that had somehow been hidden from JP's sights for close to twenty years. Leo needed to know this immediately.

"Its very cool." Niles mumbled absently. "I need to go." Kamui frowned, then reached out and slowly touched Niles' arm.

"Will you come back?" He founded positively forlorn. If it kept the horned boy from freaking out, Niles wouldn't mind promising that even if they never saw each other again.

"Of course." Niles turned and started to leave, but paused at the door. "Kamui, you should be nicer to Leo. He isn't as scary as he seems, I promise. He's actually really sweet when you get to know him."

"Really?" Kamui wrinkled his nose at the thought. At least he appeared thoughtful about it. "Bye bye, mister Niles. Come back soon and be safe, okay?"

".... okay."

A tap on the door and it was opened. By the time Niles had slipped back outside and caught his breath, Leo was on his way back from his break.

"Done so soon?" Leo frowned and crossed his arms. The younger man inspected Niles closely, taking in his clean hands and blood free uniform. His eyes strayed to the crotch of the older man's pants and his eye gave the slightest twitch to show disapproval.

"The kid was an open book. I didn't even touch him. He said he was scared of you, though, Commander."

Leo scoffed. "Scared of _me_?" Insulted, the blond man looked at the door Kamui was behind with distaste before looking back at Niles.

"Did you find anything else out?"

The white haired man smirked. Niles had learned a lot, but it was up to Leo to find out if it was actually true or not. He was sure it wouldn't be any trouble to get a few drops of blood and cross section it with Mikoto's body. A match was all it would take to prove the story true or false.

"His name is Kamui. Subject A is named Azura and also his sister. Mikoto was his mother, and he claims she birthed him naturally. He also said his father is Ankanos. I have permission to touch him all over now, too."

Ignoring the last bit, Leo nodded and seemed impressed with what Niles had learned.

"I don't understand how you got out of him in twenty minutes what I couldn't find out in a week, but I'm happy for it. Thank you, Niles. Let's just hope I have better luck getting more out of him."

"Don't worry, I put in a good word for you." Chuckling, Niles was pleased with the playful grin on Leo's face. It was nice to see his Commander smile. They often had so little to smile about it could be maddening.

"Yes, yes, you did good. Now go back to work before you get a big head. We both have important things to do, Niles." Leo's tone was playful, but Niles knew that the blond was being serious. It had been a pleasant little break from the mundane, but he knew it wouldn't last forever.

The rest of the day, Niles' thoughts were filled with visions of horned boys and other confusing things. He didn't get much work done.

\------

It shocked everyone except Niles when the information about Kamui's conception was released. Leo had been careful in the reveal, done tests both medical and supernatural to prove that what Kamui claimed was true. He was indeed a half demon of some sort, and his father was Anankos. Leo and Xander had went to the seal itself and force summoned a small portion of the betrayed god to answer their questions. While the dragon god confirmed that both Azura and Kamui were his children, he refused to say anything else on the matter and was quickly sealed again.

At least they now knew why the siblings couldn't be sealed. The human in them resisted it, even if the demon gave them fantastic powers. They were something new, something scary, and most importantly something than needed to be dealt with. The only question remained on what to actually _do_ with Kamui. All reports up to this point had shown the boy being downright placid. He hadn't lifted a finger or even gotten angry at any point while he had been in their custody, so it just felt like murder to kill him. Azura had been the one to fight back when captured, and maybe if Kamui had even done that much then no one would have felt bad about putting him down.

The only thing that was resolved was that Kamui couldn't live in the Interrogation room forever. It was a precious waste of resources and man power. No one could really prove the seals down there were doing anything anyway, since he technically wasn't a proper demon. All in all, it just seemed like a big useless waste to have him there after they had sucked him dry of any information.

"He was asking about you again." It was another day trapped behind his desk, trying to do work he didn't care about. Leo was visiting today, like he did every day after talking to Kamui. Niles shrugged. "He told me to tell you the usual. That he says 'Hello' and he hopes you're okay."

Every since that initial visit, Leo reported that Kamui seemed quiet taken with Niles. It was every day that he would ask something about the one eyed man. Where he was, if he was okay, how he was doing. The half demon was almost as concerned over Niles as he was Azura, it seemed.

Leo laid another folder on top of Niles' desk. It was the transcript notes from today's session that he had to sign off that he had read. Every day it was a new one of these and it was filled with the most mundane things. Kamui had been positively gabby since Niles had spoken to him, and psychological reports showed he seemed much happier and didn't cry as often. None of that made it any less boring to read over Kamui talking about what foods his mother would cook sometimes and how much he loved to read.

"I talked to Xander today, and they're going to move him to the west wing bunkhouse. They're setting up the cameras right now. Since he hasn't been any trouble and doesn't seem dangerous, he's being allowed a little more freedom." Leo tutted and sat back, watching as Niles pretended to ignore him.

"Isn't that dangerous? This could be what he wants." Niles met his Commander's eyes for just a moment. Leo seemed downright smug, sitting across from his desk with his legs crossed like that.

"That's what I said, but you know what happens when Xander gets an idea in his head." Leo gave an exaggerated sigh and waved his hand, as if dismissing what he had just said. "We asked Veritas. She says he's been nothing but truthful. Eirene also said she couldn't sense any ill intent from the boy. We're at a standstill on what to do with him. Elisa said we can't just leave him trapped in a hole."

"That girl knows just how to bend Xander _and_ you like putty, doesn't she?" Niles smiled and laughed to himself, pleased with the suffering look that crossed Leo's face. It was nice to have time to wind down and just talk. Now that the majority of the mess with what was now known as 'The Valla Incident' had been smoothed over, it was mostly back to the usual.

"You're terrible. If you weren't my Officer, I would have you fl-" Leo was cut off by a very excited knocking at the door. Niles eye met Leo's, and the olde man simply shrugged. He didn't expect anyone, and if something was going on Leo would have been notified before he was. He pressed the button that unlocked his door, which was opened with enough force to make it bash against the inside wall.

"Oh no! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" It was Kamui, of all people, standing there with his hands over his mouth and looking sheepish. Still, he hopped a little in place before stepping into the room, looking around and grinning wide at Niles and Leo. Camilla pushed in behind him, giving one of her famous warm and motherly smiles to Leo as she entered. Just outside, Niles could see the telltale signs of Selena and Beruka waiting for their Commander. "Mister Niles! I missed you!"

The term 'glomp' was one of those ridiculous things that Odin for some reason knew, and then decided that Niles just had to know about. It involved running and tackling someone to hug them, or something equally dumb. After learning it, Niles had locked it safely away in the box in his mind labeled 'Shit I Never Needed to Know'. He hated that it was word was the perfect word to describe what Kamui did next.

The horned boy lunged forward suddenly, half sitting and half throwing himself into Niles' lap. It caught Niles off guard, but also made his rolling chair scoot backwards, which in turn almost made him lose his balance. Kamui had planted himself firmly in his lap with his arms wrapped around Niles in a crushing hug. Camilla had let out a little gasp of surprise and had her phone out by the time the dust had settled, and Leo had stood up so fast his chair had tipped backwards and fell. When both Commanders saw that Niles was unharmed, the relaxed enough to question the oddity.

"You, ah, seem pretty excited to see me. Not that most people aren't." After realizing he wasn't about to get his guts ripped out, Niles gave Kamui a slightly awkward pat on the back until the white haired boy detached himself. Standing back up, Kamui walked back over to Camilla reluctantly.

"Of course I am! It was really sad I didn't get to see you. Did mister Leo tell you I was okay?"

"Yes, every day. I've been... busy." Niles wasn't, not really, but visiting had just seemed like too much of a waste. Plus, he wasn't even sure if he had been allowed to do that since he had only seen Kamui thanks to Leo in the first place. It might have been seen as intruding. Not to mention it might lead to suspicions that Niles had been working with him or something, if Kamui had really turned out to be malicious.

"When we started to take Kamui to his new room, he begged us to see 'Mister Niles' on the way. I didn't see a problem with it." Camilla explained to Leo. She laughed, dainty and light, before shooting Niles a mirthful smile. That woman really knew how to rub under his skin sometimes.

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Leo watched Kamui, seeing how he looked like an excited puppy. After s bit of deliberation, a mischievous look flickered on his face. "In fact... Officer Arvelo, you're in charge of Kamui now. He seems to like you, for whatever reason, and you could use the company. You'll report to me, Camilla, Xander or Elisa his daily needs and status. Good luck."

A direct order. It was hard for Niles not to pout, but he still saluted Leo to show he accepted the order. Its not like he could refuse anyway. Camilla moved to leave since Kamui wasn't in her care anymore, with Leo following. His Commander had the audacity to wink at him before leaving. Kamui stayed behind. The boy bounced in place before moving to pick the fallen chair up and sitting down. He looked around again, taking in the bland surroundings with something like wonder.

"So, you work in here?" Niles ignored him as his phone beeped. It was a text, from Camilla, stating where Kamui's room would be. There was also a threat that he had better not try anything unsavory. As the one eyed man placed his phone down roughly, Kamui kept talking. "What sort of work do you do? Did you ever get to meet Azura? I like to read a lot, do you like to read a lot, Mister Niles?"

"Hm? What?" Looking up, Niles tried to read Kamui's face. Still an open book. The white haired boy seemed so eager to see him, it was... odd. Niles couldn't recall the last time _anyone_ had been happy to see him, if at all. There were probably a few instances, lovers ready to take him or agents that needed rescued, but they hadn't been happy to see _him_. They had been happy for his dick or his combat skills, respectively. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

"Ah, yes, I work here. This is my office." Speaking of, Niles picked up another report and started to skim it. Another minor demon sighing, squashed and taken care of. A lot of these had been passing over his desk lately, but it wasn't really any big deal. Sometimes they got more ornery and more active for a time. So was the way of life. "I'm a JP's Special Officer, so I work directly under Commander Leo. He deals in direct human to demon combat. So I do that too." Niles scribbled his name at the bottom where it was needed then tossed the file down.

"Mostly I just sit right here, read or make reports, then sign my name to them. Over and over and over."

"That doesn't sound very fun. If the stuff you read isn't fun, anyway."

Niles sighed. "Its not."

"Oh... okay. What do you like to do for fun, then? Sometimes, Mama would let us outside to play in the yard. That was fun." Kamui had such a simplistic way of talking that it was annoying. It was almost like talking to a child. Even if he was a half demon, this kid didn't know anything about the world or how nasty it could be. It filled Niles with a bitter feeling.

"I don't know. I've never had fun." His tone was a little sharper than he meant it to be. Kamui deflated, looking like a kicked puppy. Niles felt a twinge of guilt. The younger man might have been sheltered and protected his entire life, but he had also been trapped in that house for most of it. Going outside shouldn't be the rare treat that Kamui had implied it was. Niles couldn't imagine the kind of culture shock he had went through being ripped from everything he had ever known and brought here. It made him feel pity.

The moment was too long past for Niles to try and apologize. Instead, they sat there in silence as the white haired man shuffled through paperwork and skimmed over reports. That prickling sense of guilt crept farther up his back.

\------

"Here you are." An awkward hour later and Niles was opening door to the east wing's bunkhouse. It was originally just a little room filled with cheap twin sized beds connected to a bathroom. After long or hard missions, it was easier just to crash at the office than bother to go home. These bunkhouses were set up all over the place just for that, but this one was rarely used. It was in a back hallway all to itself, close to the personal offices of the Special Officers like himself. He would hazard to guess that most normal agents didn't even know about it since it was in an area that wasn't frequently visited by them.

I looked like whoever had been in here had been busy. Only one of the beds remained, pushed into a corner. A few cheap pieces of furniture were scattered around; mismatched chairs, a little table, a wardrobe and a small fridge to name a few. It wasn't perfect, but it was clean and big enough for a single occupant. Niles wondered where they had hidden the cameras, since he didn't see any right away.

"Is this really mine?" Kamui stepped inside and looked around. He seemed timid, unsure. Slowly he patted the table, found it wobbled a little, but just giggled and moved to the fridge. It was empty except one of those reusable water bottles. The wardrobe contained a few old JP's uniforms, without the jacket. Niles guessed that the small attached bathroom was probably full of scratchy towels and stinky shampoo.

"Yeah. Just remember that once you're in, it locks from the outside. You can't leave without someone like me to escort you."

"That's okay." Sitting down on the bed, Kamui sighed and pulled the pillow to his chest. "Thank you, Mister Niles."

"I didn't do anything. You should be thanking Commander Xander for being so kind to let you use this space."

"Oh. Okay. I'll tell him when I see him?" Kamui must not have met Xander. It was probably for the best. That guy had a case of Resting Bitch Face so bad he could make a rock cry. He was also the kind of guy that it was dangerous just to think those kinds of things about him.

"Maybe? Do you need anything before I leave?" Kamui pondered this, then shook his head quickly and got up.

"No, thank you. I'll just take a bath then go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, okay Mister Niles? Be safe, and see you later."

"Yeah, right, see you." Niles closed the door and activated the lock. While he was finishing his work, Camilla had sent him a link to a specialized server. It had a live feed of the cameras in Kamui's new room, which he now has access too since he was 'in charge' of the half demon.

Niles was on the subway headed home when he bothered to check it. What he got was an eyeful of Kamui stripped down naked. A towel, one of the scratchy ones like Niles had thought, was the only thing protecting his modesty. It was hard to tell, but he looked kind of wet. He was digging around in the wardrobe, picking at the clothes inside to see what to get dressed in. Kamui moved to drop the towel, but about that time his phone rang.

"Don't be a pervert, Officer Arvelo." It was Camilla's silky voice on the other line. Niles shot the old lady next to him a nasty look for being nosy before he answered.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"You should have told Kamui about the cameras, Arvelo. Elise doesn't need to see him naked even less than he probably wants to show her. Toodles." The phone line buzzed in his ear when Camilla hung up. He went back to watching the feed, only to see that Kamui had produced a baggy pair of pajamas from somewhere in the wardrobe and was half dressed. Sadly, the most tantalizing bits were covered by this point. He went to the bed and curled up, not bothering with the lights, and appeared to be asleep. Niles was left feeling at odds with himself. When he got home, he really needed a stiff drink or ten.

\------

Kamui had been adapting to life in JP's fairly well. It was only a week after his move to the east wing that Xander granted him 'limited free roaming' privileges. This basically meant that while Niles on the premises, he could wander around the base in the non-restricted areas. When Niles left for the evening, Kamui was to be locked back into his room and stay there unless someone came and got him.

A lot of the agents were wary of him for understandable reasons. Despite this, with his naturally bubbly personality and pure innocence, Kamui was slowly winning over the hearts of those around him. He had made friends with a regular Officer named Silas quickly, and many of Niles fellow Special Officers didn't mind his company. He also stayed with Commander Elise a lot in the med bay or bothered a girl named Nyx who ran the on site library (He had been sad he couldn't read any of the books without special permission). Even with all of his coming and going, Kamui still managed to spend most of his time in Niles' office.

The younger man had resigned himself to be almost like a glorified secretary for Niles, running papers wherever they needed to go or just doing the general busy work that the older man hated. Today Kamui was planted across from him, stapler in hand and humming happily. When Niles would finish writing something, he would hand it off to Kamui, who would staple it and then sort it in a neat little pile depending on where it needed to go.

"Hey, mister Niles." Kamui set the stapler down on the edge of his desk. Niles glanced up, then noticed the serious look on the boy's face. Slowly the white haired man put his papers down and turned his attention to the boy. Niles wasn't really sure what he thought of Kamui yet, but it wouldn't serve him well to ignore his charge. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"Oh. Um... sorry." Niles couldn't keep the grin of satisfaction off his face from seeing the boy squirm. Really, the kid was too cute when he was flustered. It made it very hard for Niles to _not_ tease him.

"Go ahead, Kamui. I won't bite too much."

Whatever Kamui had to say must have really been worrying him. He hesitated as he found his voice, head down and avoiding eye contact. The horned boy had started that fidgeting again, like when he first met him.

"Well.... I like the books that Nyx and miss Camilla let me have, but it, um...." Kamui was collecting his thoughts. The dragon had a voracious appetite for reading, as he had expressed before. His room had slowly filled up with musty old books that people had brought him out of pity. Nyx and Camilla were the only two who were doing an active 'lending' program, bringing him the cheap and smutty romance novels the two enjoyed. Kamui was enthralled by them the most, and could chew through one or two every day if you let him. Once Niles had watched him from home, curled up in bed as the boy read. He had seen the exact moment Kamui had gotten to a smut scene, because he could tell even from the black and white how the younger man's face flushed red to his ears. "I like them a lot, but....."

Kamui swallowed, as if that would dislodge whatever lump had formed there.

"They're always about a boy and a girl! They fall in love and hold hands and do stuff, but its _always_ a boy and girl that does that. Mister Niles can... can, um, can a... can a boy and a boy do that?"

Of all the questions Niles had expected, it certainly wasn't that one. He pursed his lips as he thought of how to answer the boy. More teasing would be a good option, but already he looked on the verge of tears since Niles wasn't answering right away. Had Kamui had some sexual revelation while he had been here? Been too scared to ask at home with his mom and sister? Who knew.

Did it have anything to do with that Silas?

"It just means you're gay. You can do almost everything with a man you can a woman. Believe me, I know." Niles picked up another paper, pretended to read. It didn't help the flare of unfounded jealously he felt that Kamui looked like the world had just opened up to him.

Kamui stood and circled the desk. Leaning over, he gave Niles his usual hug. It was crushing, but he never resisted. The one eyed man had said that Kamui could touch him whenever he wanted, after all, and Niles assumed it had a lot to do with why the boy liked him so much. He was just careful not to return it in case it encouraged the half demon.

Apparently it didn't help. Another unpredictable thing happened, that stole away Niles' reasoning for a moment. Kamui pulled away from their hug, but then leaned back in and pressed the quickest, most chaste kiss on the corner of Niles' mouth. Kamui was out the door before Niles had a chance to question it.

Neither of them brought it up later, but that night Niles dreamed of a tree-house castle, soft lips and a forest glade instead of his usual nightmares.

\------

Rarely, Niles would actually get to do what he had expected his job to be. That didn't mean it was fun.

The seal to some demon lord that Niles didn't bother to learn the name of was cracking. The loose spiritual energy was drawing demons by the hoards, which wasn't exactly what they needed hanging around Tokyo or getting to the general public. A few agents had been dispatched to deal with it but none of them returned. A scouting mission revealed a group of Schir and other mid-level demons, which weren't expected and certainly too much for normal agents to handle. This is why Odin and himself were sent out with a group of more elite fighters to deal with the threat.

Even the rubber boots Niles had on hadn't kept his feet from getting soaked in sewage water. The sewers were just the kinds of places demons liked to hide out. Dark, damp, dank and very few people wandered down here. Most of them enjoyed the lingering smell of shit and decay, too, if he knew anything about demons.

A half hour deep and still no sign of trouble. Odin seemed to be getting anxious, waving the flashlight of his phone around at every drip and scuttling rat they came across. The blond didn't like places like this, something to do with bad memories of his parents. Niles didn't ask since his partner wasn't keen on telling. It was better that way anyway. The closer you were to someone, the more it hurt later in a job like this.

"Maybe they've moved on?" One of the grunts, a girl he vaguely knew as Charlotte, spoke up from behind him. Niles tried to give her a warning look over his shoulder. He hadn't worked with her before and she was a dainty little thing, looking frightful and timid. He couldn't imagine she was a good fighter, or how she had even gotten assigned to this particular squadron. At least she looked nice, the way her plump breasts strained against her uniform and the sway her her hips.

"I doubt it. Now hush your pretty little mouth before I find you something better to do with it." The blond woman pressed her lips together in a firm line, her expression shifting from the sweet damsel to something more frightening. She opened her mouth to speak, but all he heard was an intake of breath before one of the men at the back of the line started screaming.

Niles was summoning even as he ducked, a spindly arm made of razors aimed to take his head off. His phone chimed in compliance as his Lilim and Girimehkala were pulled from their otherworldly realm to serve him. Lilim floated in the air for a moment before shooting off a Mazio into the darkness, striking some unknown demon down before it could pick off one of the agents. In the brief light it created, Niles got a good look of who had screamed. Or, what was left of who had screamed. The man was doubled over, but hanging from the air by his intestines, like a puppet dangling. He jerked and twitched as whatever was holding the two ends was scurrying around out of sight.

Girimehkala had raised it's sword to meet the claws of the demon who had tried to kill him. The anthro elephant demon sliced the offending arm off, which earned an inhuman screech and drops of sizzling green blood on the sword. Lilim circled nearby, the attractive she-demon on different from the humans around her thanks to her bat wings and long tail. She flicked her hand and another powerful Mazio rippled through the air, assisting Odin's Cait Sith in taking down another demon. By this point, many of the still living agents had managed to fumble with their phones and summon their own defenses. They weren't as powerful as his or Odin's, but they would do.

"Odin!" Niles focused his energy, the powerful magic the app unleashed within him taking form. Green, magic stained blades of wind formed at his fingertips. His partner turned, just in time to fling a ball of fire in the face of an oncoming demon, all teeth and claws. They were coming so fast that Niles couldn't even identify them in the darkness. Hecate, which Odin had also summoned, was busy trying to dispel and light the darkness so they could have better visibility, but with so many attacks coming on at once she wasn't having any success.

More piercing screams echoed through the sewers, followed by the flickering of summoned demons fading out of existence. His team was slowly dying around him, and try as he might there was nothing he could do about it. He, Girimehkala, Lilim and Odin's team were fighting for all they were worth, but that didn't mean anything. It never meant anything in this job.

Raw heat seared down Niles' back. He cried out and lurched forward, away from what ever had caused it. He could already feel blood wetting his clothes, warm and slick as it dripped. Lilim hissed and flung herself at whatever had caused it. He muttered a 'shit' under his breath and tried to do a quick self assessment. It hurt, it was deep, and spanned all the way from his left shoulder down to the small of his back. Without some sort of attending, he would bleed out very quickly.

Holy energy washed over Niles and he felt the itchy feeling of skin knitting back together. An Angel hovered over him, casting Dia on him, before the white winged woman returned to the side of it's master. Charlotte was busy ripping what might have been a Garm in two with her bare hands, powered up by the app. A Gozuki was with her and the Angel, the great bull swinging its massive axe and felling multiple enemies at once.

About the time, Hecate finally got her light spell to work. The flash was blinding, but the wild demons all shrieked and screeched in pain. When Niles could blink the spots out of his vision, he caught sight of the remaining demons shriveling into dust. Those who resisted the light were quickly stomped out by the remaining agents and their demons.

It was a victory, but not a happy one. Niles could count at least five of his agents dead. Sliced in two, guts ripped open, the works. Three more were missing, but after observing a few large splatters on walls or chucks of bleeding meat he had an idea on where they were. One of the agents, a newer boy that Niles didn't know the name of, was being held up by his demon and sobbing, his arm ripped off in such a way that the bone jutted out from the wound.

Lilim and Girimehkala faded into dust as Niles lifted his hand.

"Fall back! Mission success!" The words tasted bitter on his tongue.

\------

The visions of that mission stayed with Niles for weeks after. He had been doing well with his problem, but every time he closed his eye all he could see was the faces of the dead and the gore he had seen staring back at him. It was easier to let the bottle fall back into his shaky hand since it made the visions go away. The ghosts of his past couldn't creep up on him in the night when he couldn't think.

Kamui had noticed, amazingly. Of all his coworkers who knew him for years, of his boss who was the only person who he cared for, it was only Kamui who seemed to pay attention. The boy had taken to something akin to coddling Niles, which the one eyed man wasn't sure that he enjoyed. He would come in of the day with his head splitting and body aching, but Kamui would always be there waiting for him. The boy would hum soft songs and pet Niles' hair soothingly when he laid his head down on his desk to rest.

"You're not okay." He finally whispered one day, as Niles emptied another of his hidden bottles down his throat. It burned, but it filled his gut with warmth and he was pleased with how it almost made his forget how many man's insides he had seen. Niles had frowned, his buzz lost. "I'm worried about you."

"Its not your job to worry about me." Niles has hissed in return. His tone was biting, cruel and accusatory. Where was mister half demon when his comrades were getting brutally murdered? Where had Kamui been when his eye had been sliced out? Tucked away in some safe corner, reading with his mommy and sister without a care in the world. He didn't have a right to worry over him. "Its not your fucking job to do anything. You don't know what the world is like. You've not seen the shit I've seen."

Niles rose from his seat, which made Kamui flinch. The boy's eyes filled up with tears and Niles was glad. He was glad he was getting to him.

"You want to know how the world really is outside of little books and fairly tales? I grew up alone on the street. I went hungry so long I would eat rotten garbage just to stop the pain for a little while. I had to do sick shit that no _kid_ should have to do, just to survive. Have you ever been hungry, Kamui? Even once in your life?"

Kamui whimpered softly, shrinking down under Niles gaze. He didn't look away, though, he kept his eyes locked onto Niles' and the older man wasn't sure if he was more proud or pissed off.

"Have you ever been loved, Kamui? Did your mommy make you feel _loved_? Because no one has _ever_ loved me. They just wanted to use me for what they could get. Even Commander Leo and Odin, who are the only two people who might care for me, don't _love_ me. I'm only alive because I was useful to Leo! I am only still alive so he could use me, too!"

Niles felt his voice rise, growing louder. Tears had finally spilled, sliding down Kamui's cheeks and dribbling softly onto his lap. Kamui held his hands clutched in his lap so tightly that his knuckles were white. He still didn't look away.

"And have you ever seen someone die, Kamui? Because I have. I have seen people die in ways I _never_ imagined. The worst part? I've had to kill some of those people myself. I've had to make the orders to end lives that didn't need ending, Kamui. Do you think that makes me happy? Do you think I _like_ seeing half the teams I lead into battle die in some fucked up way? Well?"

Kamui rose to his feet with that gentle grace he often possessed. He was crying, but he looked angry now. When the boy lifted his hand, he expected a slap; welcomed it even. Instead, he felt Kamui's warmth on his cheek. He leaned over Niles' desk and wrapped his other arm around the man, pulling him into a hug. It was made a bit awkward by the space between them, but Niles could feel all his anger slowly fade at this unexpected act.

"I'm sorry, Niles." Kamui's breath was shaky and low with barely restrained anger. "I'll make the hurting stop next time, okay?"

With that cryptic message still on his lips, Kamui kissed him. It was sloppy and bruising, teeth clashing and noses rubbing painfully, but it was everything Niles hadn't known he needed. His own hands moved, one pulling Kamui closer and the other tangling his fingers in the boy's white hair. He tilted his head, tried to direct the kiss so it fell into a natural rhythm. He dared to slide his tongue over Kamui's lip. It was much too exotic for how little the horned boy had and Niles knew it, but he didn't care. He probed inside of Kamui's hot mouth eagerly.

It was lack of breath that made them part. Kamui gasped softly, face flushed and looking lusty. The half demon had some soft of dazed realization, and he pulled away. Soft of awkwardly he tried to turn away, but not before Niles caught a glimpse of the bulge in the boy's pants.

Neither of them said anything as Kamui left.

\------

If Xander or Ryouma asked Niles if he were ashamed, the answer would be 'no'. Kamui had come to him and asked for this, in that so sweet and innocent voice of his. He just hadn't expected to get caught, for the two leaders of JP's to even be at the base that day, let alone need Kamui so urgently. They had forced his lock open and just came in without even bothering to knock.

Kamui had been sitting on Niles' desk, shirt loose and unbuttoned and pants pulled down just enough to rid him of any modesty. An arm was wrapped around Niles' shoulders, and the larger man was standing between the horned boy's legs. Red and purple kiss marks dotted Kamui's shoulders and neck and his face was flushed in the most lovely way. They were kissing, hard and deep, while the white haired man languidly jacked Kamui off. Kamui's free hand had been trying undo Niles' pants, but had stopped short when they were interrupted.

Kamui had came to him, had held him close, and then had dared whisper 'Please, wreck me.' in the summoner's ear. Niles didn't even bother to wonder which book he had learned those naughty words from before he was on him.

Kamui jerked and was torn between covering his face and the rest of his body. He settled for pulling his pants back up and sliding off the desk, keeping his back to the pair of men who stood bewildered by what they had seen. Niles couldn't help but scowl; if this would happen the first time Kamui asked for something, he doubted the boy wold brave up again to ask for more anytime soon. It left a sour note in his stomach.

"Kamui?" Someone small and slight shouldered between the two men with surprising strength. Long blue hair, sharp yellow eyes- Niles knew her as Subject A, or Azura. Kamui's sister. She took one look at the white haired boy, then to the one eyes man. Eyes narrowed, she lifted her chin in an almost predatory way and sniffed the air. She hadn't _seen_ because of the broad frames of the two leader's, but understanding crossed her face. Her pretty, delicate features shifted to something cruel and she charged forward with speed that no one expected.

The summoner's head cracked hard against the wall and spots filled his vision. Niles found himself unable to breath. When some sense came back to him, it was too late to retaliate. Azura had lifted him up while like he was nothing and was choking him out against the wall. His hands lifted to where the girl held him firmly, but her grip was steel and he couldn't so much as pry a finger away.

"Azura!" Both men shot forward to get her, but it was Kamui who beat them. He was still a state of half undress, but didn't seem to mind when he grabbed the blue haired girl by the shoulders and ripped her off of Niles. She staggered back and Niles hit the ground, sliding down the wall and coughing as he tried to fill his burning lungs. Kamui used what little space available to slide between Niles and Azura, hands up. "It's okay, it's okay! It was consensual!"

Both Ryouma and Xander grabbed one of Azura's wrists, pulling her back. She didn't resist, but if looks could kill then Niles would be burning in hell already. She briskly pulled herself out of their grip and rubbed the reddened skin. She looked upset.

"I can't approve of this. I know you see the good in everyone, but there is too much darkness clouding that man's heart. Choose someone else." As Azura spoke, Niles used the wall to get into a standing position. While he didn't really understand what Azura was talking about, he at least knew that she didn't like her brothers choice in lovers. However, whatever she meant made Kamui bristle, the first real look of agitation crossing his features that the boy had ever shown.

"I won't! I know what I'm doing, and I like mister Niles! Besides, _your_ blessing isn't needed. If you get to choose who I give mine, then should I choose who you give yours? Tell me, what man deflowered my sister so I can go and choke him out like you tried to do Niles!"

Azura growled low in her throat and tried to step forward again, but this time Ryouma grabbed her shoulders. He pulled her out of the room, but Xander stayed. He set a hard look on the pair before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Kamui.... Officer Arvelo." There was a distaste there when Xander spoke Niles' name. "Kamui was needed in the meeting room. Arvelo, as a direct order, you come as well."

"Yes, sir." The one eyed man could feel his skin burning, with some mixture of shame and anger. It was so hard to resist speaking about how he might have 'come' sooner if Xander hadn't walked in, but he managed. Kamui flushed and looked over his disheveled appearance, then started to button up the plain grey shirt he was half wearing. Nodding, Xander left to follow after Ryouma and Azura.

They didn't speak as they made themselves look presentable, then Kamui took Niles hand and led him out. He went to drop the summoner's hand, as Kamui always did outside of his office, but Niles held tight this time. Let them walk the halls as an item. Let someone dare say anything to either of them.

The meeting hall only contained the four Commander's of JP's and Azura when they entered. Niles had only been in here a handful of times since he had worked here, but never when it was in session. The room was rounded and had a large screen in the middle, with some type of map on the screen filtering in data. On the opposite sides of the room were two large, curved tables. Four seats sat at each, and each Commander was filling them. The Kyoto side stayed on one site, the Tokyo on the other. Azura was in the middle. Leo raised a brow at his Officer when he entered, but Niles nodded to him and Kamui walked over to join the blue haired girl.

"Azura." Ryouma started when they were in place. His voice boomed, full of authority. "You have made the request that you should be allowed and trusted to see your brother more regularly. This choice will be made a joint decision by Tokyo Branch and Kyoto Branch. Plead your case."

"Sir." Azura didn't miss a beat. Her soft voice didn't waver under the scrutiny or the pressure placed on her. Niles felt Kamui squeeze him tightly, nervous for his sister. "In the last few months, I have shown aggression to any of your staff and have done anything you asked or needed of me without question. I have no ill will to harm anyone, least of all any of you. I simply miss Kamui. That day when you took us, I didn't just lose my mother since we were separated. It has been very hard not seeing him when we were so close."

Xander snorted, drawing the attention to everyone in the room.

"You say you've had no aggression, but not ten minutes after arriving to this Branch, you assaulted one of Commander Leo's Special Officers with what seemed to be the intent to kill." Looks of surprise crossed the faces of the six who hadn't been present for that. "Officer Arvelo, could you please play witness to what happened?"

"Yes, Commander." Niles clicked his tongue. He glanced over at Kamui, who gave him a pleading look. Even if they were angry at each other for the moment, the one eyed man knew just how badly that the horned boy had wanted to see his sister. To have this denied would kill his soul.

"Kamui was in my office with me when you and Commander Ryouma entered. Azure entered after you, and attacked me. She pinned me to the wall and lifted me up, attempting to choke me. Kamui stopped her before I lost consciousness." Xander seemed content with this answer and looked ready to continue, but Niles swiftly cut him off. "However, it is important to keep in mind that I was engaging Kamui in... more sexual activities. Would any of you have reacted any differently if you had walked on in me with, say, Commander Elise or Commander Sakura?"

"I would have killed him." The answer came from Leo, who looked quite bored with the proceedings. Takumi had wrinkled his nose with disgust at the thought of Niles doing _anything_ with Sakura. Camilla and Hinoka looked like they might kill him for even suggesting it. Elise didn't seem to mind the comment one bit, but Sakura had turned redder than her hair.

"I guess that is... an important point to make." Xander conceded. He still didn't look happy.

"With this in mind, what Azura says is true. She has not been outwardly aggressive to any of our staff. What of Kamui?" Ryouma tried to push the conversation along and put the business of sleeping with sisters behind them all.

"Kamui is really nice! He comes and helps me in the med bay a lot, and he gets along really good with everyone. I don't have a problem with him! You have my vote to approve visits!" Elise sang out. There was murmuring on either side of the tables, and Hinoka, Camilla, Leo and Sakura gave their approval for this too.

Before the discussion could continue, alarm bells started to screech. The room was bathed flashing red lights. Everyone was stunned into silence for a few moments before Xander and Ryouma rose from their seats.

"W-whats happening?" Kamui tried to press tightly to Niles side, which the man welcomed. He responded by wrapping his arm around the horned boy's waist and tugging him close. On the large map in the middle of the room, there were hundreds of little green dots. Niles watched with horror as all over the continent dots flickered from green to red.

Seals. The seals that held the most powerful demons in all of Japan were breaking. This was the kind of day he had been warned about, but everyone hoped to prevent with their constant vigilance and efforts. The occasional seal weakening or weaker one breaking was bad enough. This... this was something else.

It saw Sakura, out of all of them, who regained her senses first. She pulled out her cell phone slowly.

"Hana! Subaki!" She barked into it, with authority that Niles had never imagined from the timid girl. "I want all medical staff summoned! Start turning every available space in both Tokyo Branch and Kyoto Branch into emergency medical wards!"

This snapped the rest of the Commanders out of their stunned horror. They all grabbed for cell phones, ordering their own Special Officers to them and to get all the troops in line. Protocol was being thrown out the window, and Niles didn't blame them one bit.

"Officer Arvelo! Take Kamui and Azura to Kamui's room, and lock them inside." That was Ryouma. Niles nodded and started to move, but Elise stopped him short.

"Wait!" Ryouma was surprised the girl would stand up to one of his direct orders. "We'll need every body we can get. Kamui and Azura aren't any problem, so they can help more by helping Sakura and I here."

Ryouma nodded and Xander seemed to accept this as well. With this in mind, Niles let a confused Kamui go. Azura was at his side as soon as it was done, holding her brother's arm.

"Niles! Come here! I want you and Odin to start sweeping the lower leveled demons ten minutes ago!" Leo was already heading for the exit, joined by Takumi. Both of them seemed ready for a fight. Since they were the ones who were primarily in charge of keeping demons under control and the seals in shape, they probably felt somehow responsible for what was happening.

"See you." Niles gave a tense smile to Kamui. The boy still seemed upset but Niles wasn't sure how to comfort him. Quickly, he leaned in and stole a kiss from the horned boy. "Go on down to the medical bay and help out."

With that, Niles was gone and following after his Commander.

\------

It was worse than any of them had hoped. As minutes turned to hours, over sixty percent of the seals across Japan had been broken. Demons were running rampant through the towns and cities all across the nation. Since demons were now common knowledge, JP's had to be as well. In a tense press conference Ryouma and Xander said they would do anything they could to stop this threat, and for the people to work with anyone they saw in uniform. There were a few larger cities set up as safe zones, where demons had been eradicated and couldn't enter. The strain of using the Dusk and Dawn Dragon Streams for this was taking a visible toll on the two head Commander's bodies, but they still pushed onward.

Many had died or were wounded. This battle was a constant one. For every demon slain it seemed like five more would take its place, so keeping them beaten back was easier said than done. No one still had any idea what had broken the seals in the first place, since all of them had been structurally sound. And, while all of this was terrible in of itself, it wasn't the worst part.

The Valla Seal had broken completely.

The only blessing that JP's had had in the last few days was that, while many seals were broken, it was mostly for lower level demigods or demons. No world destroyers had been released, and they at least had many of the neutral and pro-human types on their side. This changed when Anankos had been released.

The forgotten king in his true form was a massive beast. Bigger than most of the skyscrapers and more powerful than all the demons the entirety of JP's had put together. He had set a course right for Tokyo, and unless they could stop him then all the innocents inside the city would perish. Worse yet was that Anankos himself was bad enough, but every time he moved more and more demons would fall from his body, freshly summoned and ready to fight. They were creatures like no one had seen before, light on their feet and all sharp claws and teeth. If one got close to you, they preferred to slice you open from your chest to your navel, then scoop out your organs.

Niles knew. He had seen it done to many agents and even Officers while he had been fighting.

With all of them in the way, it was impossible to get close enough to Anankos to slow him down. The only saving grace they had was that Anankos was very, very slow himself. Still, they only had maybe four days before he would reach the barrier around Tokyo, and all those waiting demons would spill inside.

The front lines were taxing on both mind and body. Niles hadn't slept more than a few hours in the last two days. His body was also starting to become stiff and sore with all the constant attacks, and he was facing Mana Sickness from his constant overuse. He still had to press on, if not for just himself or even all the people in Tokyo, then for the horned half demon who was nestled away deep in JP's base with Elise. He hadn't seen or heard of Kamui since he had left, so he could only hope that the boy was keeping himself busy by helping the medical staff.

The white haired man wasn't fresh for battle, but no one was at this point. Six of the eight Commanders were stationed with their forces, which was a small army of men and women willing to fight to the death. Still, a large group of those odd demons had clumped together at the left flank for the past few hours. Not long ago, they had broken off and pushed forward. If they weren't stopped thinned out they would prove to be more trouble later on as their ranks swelled.

Niles didn't mind the orders for his, Odin's, Oboro's and Hinata's forces to take what they could out. Hit and run tactics to destroy what they could and then get the hell out with minimum casualty. It was what they had been forced to resort too. He tried not to think about all the blood and suffering he would see, all the wounded who would call for him as he had no choice to leave them behind.

The Cerberus that Niles was riding sensed that something was off before any of the troops did. The trees were thick and hard to fight in, but they weren't supposed to reach the main forces of the clump of demons for a few more miles. It took everyone by surprise when they dropped from the trees above them, scattering troops and breaking up their carefully planned formations.

Niles was ripped off his demon, one of the teeth creatures breaking skin on his thigh from its harsh grip. Cerberus reacted quickly, the large dog demon surging forward to grab the monster by its throat. The dog shook its massive heads and Niles heard a crack, then it flung the dead demon to the side. He used the hide of Cerberus to grip and pull himself up, then gave it a pat on the side in thanks.

In true form, as soon as Niles had gotten his baring back there were three more ready to kill him. He was alone, or at least separated from everyone else. He could see the main forces behind him, could hear Oboro's shouts as she annihilated the cursed purple things, but he was blocked from joining them. Niles was alone, and he could only rely on himself to make it out of this.

Scuffed black phone was already in hand, already summoning, before the first one reached him. Usually he held back, didn't summon his strongest because there wasn't a point in it. Now he had no choice. Every time he summoned his most powerful demon, he always felt like he was losing a piece of his soul. At this moment, he would rather lose that piece than die.

Anut. A goddess who had pledged only to be summoned by him, much like Hecate would only be summoned by Odin. All it took was a snap of her pretty fingers and the three demons were done for, roasted by her powerful fire magic.

"You must be in a tough spot to need my help, human." She laughed, a loud and booming thing. "You are lucky I like you." Anut eyed him, the black of her shimmering yellow outfit shifting and moving. He hated how she looked into the very core of his being. "Ah, it seems you have something more to fight for than your own pathetic life. How interesting. Perhaps when this is over, I can meet him?" She laughed again as more of those purple creatures descended.

Niles thought they fought the good fight, but even with Anut as a powerhouse, the sheer number of the demons overwhelmed them. The white haired man was shooting out Mazans and Mazandynes as fast as he could summon the magic in himself, with Anut using her fire and Cerberus smashing through them. They were actually doing well, and Niles was confident that they could make it to the main body of fighting with enough effort. They were already so close, if they just pushed a little harder...

But luck wasn't on their side. Just as Odin came into view, a shadow fell over Niles. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Odin turned to see Niles and he opened his mouth to call for him, but then a look of pure terror crossed his face. Niles started to turn, but before he could even move his head more than a few inches, he was launched through the air. He flew right over Odin, Oboro and a few of the agents still battling, striking a tree hard. He heard the sickening cracks of his own bones before he felt them, white hot pain lacing from his arms, back and legs.

Niles' phone, shattered, made an angry beeping noise as Anut and Cerberus were dismissed from battle, their master unable to support them with a steady flow of Mana. He couldn't move, he couldn't see, and the last thing he heard before falling unconscious was a bestial roar from the massive creature that had taken him out so easily.

\------

He remembered blurry visions. Odin yelling as he was pulled up, a helicopter ride, being wheeled in to JP's. All of it disconnected and broken, his won memories wobbling and hard to made sense of. One minute someone was screaming, _he_ was screaming, then Elise was over him and he was gone into that sweet blackness again.

Kamui's voice pulled him out of sleep again, distant but loud. One blue eye cracked open long enough to see the white haired boy screaming, crying, wings, teeth, claws. Medical staff holding him down, him shrugging them off like they were nothing. Then Niles was gone again, unsure if what he had just seen was a twisted dream of reality; Unable to care either way.

\------

Niles awoke in a cold sweat. It was dark in the room he was in, and all he could hear were muffled footsteps outside and the beeping of machines. An oxygen mask was over his mouth and nose, but he pulled it off cause the burn of his lungs was causing him to cough. He found he couldn't move very well, his legs and left arm felt heavy as lead and throbbed dully in pain. He couldn't think straight, head clouded with medicine, but he did his best to sit up anyway.

Frantic beeping started from one of the machines, which made the man flinch. There were more footsteps, louder, and the door was thrown open by an exhausted Elise. She took one look at him, then ushered the two staff behind her away; Niles only barely managed to note the defibrillator before they were gone.

"Niles! I'm so glad you're awake!" Elise moved to stop the machine, then sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. Her pigtails were drooping, bags under her eyes, and Niles could see spatters and flecks of dried blood all over the front of her doctor's uniform. "You've been out two days, and we weren't sure if you would wake up or not. Turns out spinal injuries are harder to heal than expected, even _with_ magic."

"I feel like it would have been better to stay asleep." Niles coughed, a shaky wheeze leaving his throat. His voice was rough and his throat felt like glass, but he still offered his best grin to the harried girl. Elise gave a short laugh before sighing and standing back up. "Where's Kamui? I want to see him."

"Leo is here. He wants to talk to you, so I'll go get him, okay?" She sighed, then gave Niles a sad look he couldn't place before exiting. All was quiet and Niles could feel himself drifting back off to sleep, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind wouldn't let him. He felt like he was forgetting something important, but his mind was too clouded to realize it.

"Niles?" The door cracked open. Leo was poking his head in, and when his brown eyes landed on his Officer he looked pained. Niles did his best to offer a smirk to Leo, but he couldn't imagine how bad he must have looked in bed right then. Seeing he was awake, Leo slipped inside and shut the door behind him. His Commander had something in his hands, something thing like a folder, but he placed in on the table before Niles could puzzle out what it was.

At least Leo looked happy to see him. Like Elise, the young blond looked ready to fall over. Black bags were under his eyes, and Niles couldn't miss the slight limp in his gait. If he was here and not the front lines, either something very bad had happened or he had gotten hurt. Niles wasn't sure which of those was the better option to hope was the outcome.

"Nice of you to visit. Did you miss my pretty face that much, Commander?" Niles started to laugh, but it ended as a strangled cough. He hadn't realized just how hungry and thirsty he was until now. It made him all the more uncomfortable. That nagging feeling was in his head again, stronger, and the one eyed man frowned. "Leo, Elise wouldn't tell me about Kamui. Is he okay?"

"Yes, I abandoned battle just to come see your ugly mug." Leo gave him a tight smile, but then he looked away when Niles asked about Kamui. There was guilt there. It made Niles gut twist was anxiety he couldn't place. "We.... don't know where Kamui is at, Niles. I'm sorry."

Niles gritted his teeth and could practically _feel_ the confusion showing on his own face. Leo didn't answer these unspoken questions, he just picked up the folder and opened it up, taking out a plain disk. This room was a private room, but with the amount of wounded coming in, Niles only now questioned why he might actually have it alone. Leo turned on the tv that was across from Niles' bed, then put the disk in a dvd player underneath.

"Niles, what I'm going to show you is.... well, its classified, but the whole base practically knows already." Leo sounded tired. Much more tired than a man his age should sound. "These events happened after you were brought in, before your condition stabilized."

The screen flickered and Niles saw his own room, empty. He glanced at where he imagined the hidden camera was, but the screen caught his attention again as the door was opened. The picture was in black and white, but it was very clear and sharp. He saw Elise and a few of her doctors wheeling himself in; and shit, did he look bad. His legs and arm were twisted in awkward shapes, bone jutting out in places. Half of his white hair was darkened with what Niles only assumed was blood. Elise was frantic, bossing and ordering around while trying to set his bones and repair what she could. There was no sound in this video, but Niles could guess what she was saying.

Just a minute or two later, Kamui came in. From this angle, Niles could see how tears were running down the boy's cheeks and dripping onto the floor. He looked winded, panicked, but one of the medical staff tried to push him out. Kamui was transfixed, starting at Niles' crumpled form before him. Then he started to cry and yell as another doctor approached to try and push him out, Elise yelling something while focusing on Niles.

Kamui started push back, wanting to go to Niles' side, pointing and yelling at his lover. The boy grabbed his head, hunching over and shaking. His shirt ripped in the back, thin wings poking through the skin. The doctor's looked horrified, and Elise had her attention pulled away and Kamui straightened, throwing his head back and doing what looked to be roaring. His mouth was open far wider than his skin should have allowed, showing row upon row of razor sharp teeth. The horns grew larger, as well as his claws on both hands and feet. Hooked and sharp, black, he backed up slightly as the doctor's closest tried to grab his arms. He shook them off easily, and a long tail had pressed out from the base of his spine.

Kamui backed away, and the camera shifted to a view of the hallway. The half demon backed out of the room, the took off down the hallway at unbelievable speed. At one point he dropped down to all fours, and the camera shifted again to a view of the entrance. The elevator doors were closed, but Kamui ripped through the sheets of steel like it was wet paper. It opened into inky blackness since the elevator was in use, probably somewhere deeper in the base, but the boy just jumped into it anyway. Of the little space he could see, it looked as if Kamui just latched onto the walls, his claws digging into the metal. He started to climb.

The next shift in scene was on ground level, where busy members of JP's and the government were wandering around. The metal doors there suddenly were kicked open, and Kamui burst forwards. He shoved past anyone in his way as he made for the exit, breaking glass as he pushed out of them. Then he was gone, and Leo turned the tv off.

"We got word shortly after that from Sakura. Azura made a similar escape, not long after Kamui was gone." Leo took the dvd out and shattered it in his hands before tossing it in the trash. "He's loose in the city, but we can't track him. Do you have any idea where he could have gone?"

Slowly, Niles shook his head. He hadn't imagined that Kamui had any of that in him in the first place. He had no idea where the half demon would have gone, if anywhere at all. The thought of Kamui out there hurt him, and that he had been the cause of this turn. Kamui was probably going to get himself killed by JP's now, if they managed to stop Anankos.

"It... it gets worse, Niles." Niles didn't see how it could possibly get worse. "We think he might be working in league with Anankos." Leo picked up that folder again, sitting in on Niles' lap. "He has been sighted all around Japan... and we're not sure how he's getting around so fast." The folder was flipped open, showing security footage of Kamui, himself and not as a half beast.

"He's with Azura, and he is unlocked seals Niles. He also stole the sacred Yato sword from the temple its housed at in Kyoto. We're not sure what he's planning, but... " Leo closed his eyes. "We hoped you could provide some insight, since he was so close to you."

The pictures were more and more incriminating as he flipped through them. What Leo said was reflected in the photos. Some were more grainy that others, but he could still tell Kamui apart. He was there, sometimes with Azura, the Yato on his hip. Niles knew of all the seals broken, powerful demons from Anankos' time being released. The Joker, The Frozen Sisters, The Jovial King, The Wizened Archer and many more. All powerful demons who had no business being free in the first place, and they all seemed to be following Kamui as a leader. It made Niles' heart ache in a way he hadn't expected.

"We still need your strength." Leo took the pictures away when Niles had finished looking. The white haired man was so tired, he heartbroken, he just wanted to sleep until this entire mess was over. Instead, he slowly pushed his legs off the bed and attempted to stand. As bad a shape as he had been in, as he still felt, magic was a hell of a healer if someone knew what they were doing. Elise did, so even if he was still and aching he wasn't the shattered mess he was before. "When you're able, come to the barrier and help defend it."

Leo gave him a quick salute, an honor from the Commander, but Niles couldn't bring himself to return it. His heart was too heavy.

\------

Protecting the barrier was relatively safe, but it was a huge drain on Mana. The summoners would stay inside, behind the protective sheet of pure magical energy, and send their demons outside to fight for them. It wasn't as efficient as fighting themselves and turning the tide of battle, but it made casualty almost nonexistent. The worst you had to worry about was Mana drain or Mana Sickness. It was constantly protected, but most of the demons were coming from where Anankos was, so that is where they had clumped together to try and break the barrier.

In the distance, you could see the lumbering form of the great god moving closer and closer. Since they had failed to take the battle to him, he had gained a lot of ground without them slowing him down. He would be here in a few hours, ready to destroy the city and everyone inside.

It was hard for Niles to walk still, but he kept his demons out to aide in the fighting. Anut was doing very well, as was as Lilim and his Cerberus. He, along with the Commanders and many other Special Officers, were on higher ground above the normal troops to oversee the action.

"Ah, Arvelo." His name caught his attention, but Niles was displeased to see it was Subaki. The only saving grace to seeing the other man was that, for once, his hair was ratty and his arm was in a sling. The battle hadn't been easy on any of them, and he guessed that whatever had happened to the red haired man was bad enough that even magic couldn't heal it all the way. "You seem well. We were all worried about you." Subaki grinned. "Except for me. I knew there wasn't any point. You're not the type to die from a little hit like you took."

"Maybe you could point all that saved energy to good use on your knees." Subaki laughed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Niles wasn't really in any shape to deal with him right now, but it was nice to let himself have a few jabs. Laughing was a rare treat.

"I think I put it to better use fighting. Maybe when this is all over, you could show me what you mean?" Well well, Subaki was coming onto him. What was the world coming to. Niles snorted and allowed himself a small laugh. He was tempted to accept the offer, since simple pleasures of the flesh would be all he had left if he survived through this. Kamui was gone, and even then he was never really sure _what_ his relationship with the boy was in the first place. Something... more, something that Niles didn't like to think about; It hurt too much.

Niles looked out on the crowd of summoners, at Anankos in the distance. The feel of Kamui's lips pressed against his crossed his mind. Today would be a good enough day to die.

\------

The sun was going down when the first wave of the hoard hit them. The tangled mass of demonic limbs slammed against the barrier. The blue sheet of magical energy flickered, but did not crack. However, Niles caught Xander shake and a few drops of blood escape from his lips from the impact. The demons that Anankos was producing had meshed together, each their own separate entity but still moving as one.

Many feared for how much harder the battle would be in the dark. Staring up at the looming form of the dark god, how his singular eye was trained on them, Niles knew that they would most likely be dead long before that.

No one could come up with a solid plan. There were no demons that knew enough about Anankos to destroy or seal him. Ones that Kamui hadn't already let loose and were running free, anyway. They were doomed, and everyone knew it but they weren't going to give up without a fight. The least they could do was try to go out in a blaze of glory, give enough time for people to evacuate if they could.

More demons had joined sides with Anankos. It was not just him or his hoard alone, not anymore. He had an army ready to destroy. Niles summoned his own demons, as many as his Mana could sustain, and sent them into action. Others were doing it as well, their numbers steady swelling in rank. Still, even if every agent summoned a hundred demons it would not be enough. They would be crushed by the massive dragon before them and there would be nothing left.

The beast raised a massive claw and slammed it against the barrier. Both Xander and Ryouma recoiled, eyes rolling back in their heads and blood pouring from their mouths. The two men collapsed, the demons they had summoned fading from existence. The barrier had been weakened, sure, since it was feeding off of them. For it be swatted away like that? Unthinkable. Sakura and Elise ran to their brother's sides.

There was a pregnant pause. It was broken by a shrill shriek, a woman from out in the crowd of agents. The demons all poured over the threshold then, inside of the city, a writhing mass that slaughtered the unprepared before them. It was a bloodbath. Niles could feel his blood thrumming in his ears as he saw the beasts draw closer. He was frozen in place, not even able to draw up a Mazan spell to at least show the hope of defending himself. It was over. They had lost.

A rippling roar sounded from behind them. White light, and all those who could jerked to see. The demons shrieked and hissed in protest. They did not advance, but did not fall back either. Horns jutted from between the buildings, moving towards them slowly. Another great dragon, not as large as Anankos but still massive. Behind it was a small army. Hundreds of demons, shifting from human to demonic shape. Niles knew a few of them, or could at least guess. The demi gods and powerful entities that Kamui had released. All of them led the pack.

The dragon itself was black and white. The body shape and grace of movement were like a deer, and its horns reflected that by twisting like a buck's. The light was coming from it, an internal glow shining outwards. Azura sat atop it's back, barely visible. Her legs were folded daintily to the side and she held a staff that Niles had never seen before. Everything pulsed with a powerful energy. The white dragon unfolded its massive wings and took to the air.

Niles broke out into a cold sweat.

The one eyed man expected to the end, even worse than imagined. Hemmed in from both sides. At the cue from the white dragon, the demons from Anankos' side surged again. They screeched, a grating noise of hell. The screams of the gathered demons from the white dragon joined them, and all it took was one peek to see that they were charging as well.

The white dragon flew for Anankos. As it passed over them, Azura stood and leap from it's back. She was heading right for them, right for there the main force was collected, where he and the Commanders were currently trying to revive their unconscious brothers.

A blur of green broke from the line of Officers. Niles didn't know the man, only knew he was Kyoto. Just as the blue haired girl was about to hit the ground, he leaped into the air and caught her. They laid there, sprawled out and stunned. Saizo moved, roused from his Commander's side, and jerked up the green haired man from the ground. He looked to have some choice words for him, but Niles couldn't make them out from here. All he could gather from the masked man was that he was angry.

They were losing ground quickly. The line of agents at the front, even with help, had been chewed through fairly quickly. This was the best plan they could come up with, as much as it shamed him not to be out there helping them fight. The weakest member's would face the onslaught first, so that the stronger demons could stay in play longer and hopefully take them out. It would be seen as a coward's tactic, but at least it gave them time to think out their options. It brought no comfort to think of it that way.

With no back guard, the white dragon's demons reached them quickly. Niles raised his phone, ready to slam an attack at a small, brown haired girl with goat legs, but she just hopped past him. To the surprise of everyone, the white dragon's army passed by every one of them. Niles kept his eye on the goat girl, saw her lift up a glowing golden hoe. She slammed it down, shaking the ground in front of her and causing a crack in the earth. The demons were fighting Anankos' hoard.

Azura had pushed herself up, tore the green haired man from Saizo's arms, then lifted up her staff high. Holy light shone from her scepter. It landed in a focused sheet on the demons gathered, Anankos' forced evaporating as soon as it hit them. She opened her mouth, a song of foreign words that tingled the ears spilling from her lips.

From above, the white dragon crashed into Anankos. The forgotten god let out a piercing shriek, his larger body shifting to pull away. A chunk had been ripped from one of his wings, the blood staining the white dragon's muzzle and chest purple before it dropped the mass of oozing flesh from it's maw.

It lowered it's horns. Anankos took the challenge. They clashed much as you would expect gods to clash, shaking the ground and crushing building they came in contact with. Anankos was large and powerful, but was so slow that he couldn't catch the white dragon. It dipped and darted just out of reach, slipping in only long enough to tear chunks of flesh from the dark king.

Anankos seemed to sizzle and fade, as if the edges of the dragon were fading away into nothing. The white dragon gave a loud roar, then started to do the same. The two dissolved into nothing, leaving behind vague human shapes in the distance. One with long blue hair and one with white. A glint of gold, plunging into the blue haired one's chest. Then it, too, crumbling to dusk.

When Anankos died, so did the demons. They hardened into stone in one shaky movement, many of them clawing for life as they turned, before blowing away on the wind. All that was left was the bodies of the fallen, the demons contracted to the summoners, and the mysterious members of the demonic army that followed the white dragon. Against all odds, Niles was alive, and he felt completely useless, he still wanted to die, and he somehow felt robbed of an end.

The white haired figure drew closer. In silver armor of unknown origin, stolen Yato in hand, and covered in blood was Kamui. He was still barefoot, still just as Niles remembered, but there was a hard glint in his eye and a thin crown of black metal sat atop his head. The demons of the crowd parted, pushing the humans back to make a clear path for the half demon as he made his way to them.

Kamui still moved with grace, regal like a king. Maybe he was a king now, since Anankos was dead. His ruby red eyed lifted, searching, then zoned in on their target: Niles. The summoner straightened his back. Everything was quiet as they waited to see what Kamui would do, since he was the one in control now. He had been friend, but would he be foe now?

Niles only heard the pad of Kamui's feet as he ascended the stairs. For someone normally so open, his expression was closely guarded. Niles felt exposed the way Kamui's gaze burned into him, like he was searching very dirty corner of what made him who he was.

Then they were just a few inches apart, the horned boy looking up with such a tender expression. Kamui cupped Niles' face with his bloodied hands and stroked his cheeks lovingly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise about you getting hurt. I hope killing him for you was the next best thing."

Then Kamui pulled Niles down and kissed him. He kissed him and Niles could only taste grit and grime and anguish, but Kamui's lips were soft and warm. He pulled the boy into his arms and held him close. This sweet, kind boy who he didn't deserve. He kissed Kamui right in front of everyone until their lips were bruised. Anyone who killed a god for you needed at least that much.

At least Niles knew he could never say he hadn't known love anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> WELP this fic has plagued my mind for weeks. It was to the point that I couldn't concentrate on writing anything else, not even for my other two fics! Hopefully with this monster out of the way, I will be free to focus on Frederick on Robin action or Niles winning over grumpy dragons.
> 
> I think this fic was a labor of love, but I know that I rushed it in places and I could touch it up to make it a little better in others. Even with that in mind, I'm overall pleased with how it turned out.
> 
> I really loved the idea in DESU 2 that there was always a shady government organization who kept demons a secret and used technology to fight them. I watched the anime again while I was Support grinding in Birthright, which I'm pretty sure where it all came from in the first place. If you haven't played the game or seen it, I would really recommend it!
> 
> Fun Fact: I actually had a more intense sex scene partially written up and planned, but as I got closer to where it was needed, I realized it be really out of place. Maybe someday I'll touch it up and post it, but for now I think I need a rest from this fic. It has emotionally drained me.
> 
> Also, unrelated, but does anyone know why AO3 keeps shearing down my word count? In my document, it says I have a little over 19k words, but here its just over 18k. Its over 1k words just poofed! Its weird and I don't like it.


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